Birmingham police release bodycam footage of police-involved shooting

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WBRC) – Birmingham police have released bodycam footage of the officer-involved shooting that occurred near Interstate 59 Wednesday afternoon.

Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said one of their patrol officers attempted to pull over a motorist on I-59 N. between Tallapoosa Street and Airport Blvd. at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The suspect, identified by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency as 28-year-old Jaylin Artez Patton, refused to stop and a chase ensued before Patton got out of his vehicle and fled on foot, police said. Birmingham police say Patton fired at the Birmingham officer and the officer returned fire. The suspect was struck once by gunfire and taken to UAB Hospital for treatment.

A BPD officer was also taken to the hospital, but Chief Thurmond said he was not injured.

“We took one of our officers out to primarily check him out and make sure he was OK. It was more or less just an observation,” Police Chief Thurmond said.

During a press conference on Friday, Birmingham police released dashcam and bodycam footage showing the pursuit on the highway, the officer stopping and getting out of the car to run after the person he was trying to stop.

Body camera footage shows the man bending down and continuing to run from the officer as shots are fired. The video does not show what he is holding, but Chief Thurmond said it was a gun.

On the camera worn by the officer, the officer is first heard yelling, “Get on the foul language floor!” Then, “Drop the gun!” The officer yells “Drop the gun” or “Drop the weapon” six times before radioing that he saw the man drop the gun.

Then you hear the officer say, “Don't pick up that gun,” and “Don't pick up that gun,” and “Don't pick it up,” before he shoots.

At the press conference on Friday, Police Chief Thurmond clarified that the man did not fire his weapon at the officers.

According to Police Chief Thurmond, ALEA seized a firearm at the scene.

Watch the body camera footage here:

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